Life is great, but it sure as hell isn’t simple. In fact, sometimes the most difficult task is something that requires the simplest approach, but as humans we tend to overcomplicate and add unnecessary elements. Although I am young, my well of experience is deep. I’ve been growing my business since the day I walked into my freshman year of classes and realized all it took was some hard work to make my dreams come true. At 18 I was focused, driven, and inspired, but my life was chaotic, messy, and as uninspiring as it could be. At 19 I realized it was time to make a change if I wanted my dreams to work, and it did. Now, I’m here to share my knowledge, so you, too, can have a simple, and incredible life.

​So Christmas just ended and you're probably already burned out from trying to get everything for your loved ones. After all, it's so hard to get gifts just right for all those personalities. But it seems like just when the gift giving is done, there is another task to be tackled... your New Years resolutions. Most of us make goals like "I'll work out 4 times a week" or "I'm going to quit drinking soda", but by the 17th we've totally forgotten our goals and abandoned them completely. Well, I'm here to tell you, that there is indeed a way to follow through on your resolutions. Want to know how? Read onward fellow humans!

With the Holidays quickly approaching, there are so many things on your mind, and you're not in the mood for thinking about what to get that special woman in your life. You've searched far and wide but everything in the mall is too expensive or too cheesy, not to mention lacks that special personal touch. Lucky for you I've narrowed down the wild vast internet to bring you the top 5 gifts that are a perfect present for that creative gal! Read on fellow gift givers! ​

Jaden Smith in his new video "Fallen" that came out Dec 4, 2016. Image Credit: Jaden Smith, Fallen Music Video.

Growing up is something that's totally strange. I think now that I'm a little older (well, not too old) I'm able to watch the people around me grow up too. Oddly enough, I've watched people grow up that I've never met. I'm talking about celebrities, and someone who I've never really particularly cared for is starting to blossom in ways I would never have imagined to occur. I'm talking, of course, about Jaden Smith. Meanwhile, you're reading this asking "Nyki, WTF, isn't this a Self-Help Art Blog?" You bet your bum it is, keep reading!

Nyki Way's Super Sculpey sculpture of a hand with an eye in the palm. Image Credit: Nyki Way, www.nykiway.com, All Rights Reserved.

The holiday seasons are just around the corner, and tensions can be high when it's time to reconnect or not reconnect with loved ones. I was craving something to decrease my stress about going back home for the holidays. I live in a studio apartment with a friend, share a bunk bed, and pay an outrageous amount in rent. Sometimes, the quality of life in a big city can be bad if you're not making a ton of money (which I'm not). And with the housing crisis, the lack of privacy, not to mention the cost, I'm constantly looking for ways to relax and take a moment to myself in this stressful world!

“Arial photo of a person swimming in the ocean.” Image Credit: Courtesy of Ishan from Unsplash.com.

We have the utmost control over one thing and only that one thing:our perception. I've lived days where I believe to be the only one on Earth and days that I don't even feel like I was present for. Addressing perception, especially proceeding the holidays is vital. The holidays are the times where we deal with family and loved ones and there can sometimes be high tensions. You can't change your family, no, but you can change how you see your family, how you interact with them, and how you feel about them. How can we use our perception to not only think that we are happy but to truly feel happiness? By reading onward friends!

“The Chicago Cubs celebrate defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates to win the National League Wild Card game at PNC Park on October 7, 2015 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Chicago Cubs defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates with a score of 4 to 0.” Image Credit: Jared Wickerham, Wick Photography.

​The Chicago Cubs lost the 1945 World Series, but is the reason that they haven’t been back because they had a curse set on them? Some people are saying yes! I know it sounds crazy, but in that long of a span of not going to the World Series, we have to start thinking that it can’t just be the team…right? Apparently in the fourth game of the World Series in 1945, Billy Goat Tavern’s owner Billy Sianis brought his goat to the game on Wrigley Field. Due to the goat-y odor of the animal, he was asked to leave. Outraged, he declared “Them Cubs, they ain’t gonna win no more”, and they haven’t since. In this world where curses might exist, how can we cope if the Cubs end up losing…again?

You’ve just gone to the pumpkin patch, and found yourself the perfect, most round and orange beaut on the lot! You take it home, and you start to realize that carving that thing isn’t as fun and as peaceful as you thought. Not to mention, it starts to rot the minute you put it on your porch, and a week later, you have to throw it out before Halloween even happens. Well, there are all new sorts of decorating techniques that exist, without the mess, without the smell, and without the stress!

“Students outside an Academy of Art building in the Financial District of San Francisco.”Image Credit: SF Citizen

College is trippy. Everybody knows you go to college, and you come back as someone else. What they don’t tell you is that this experience is going to completely turn your world upside down and you’re going to begin to like it that way. I’ve been going to the Academy of Art for five years as an Illustration (and briefly an Industrial Design) student, and for AAU that will be considered as early. I have so many complaints about this school, like the way it’s run, the way they treat their financial aid students, the campus, as well as the teacher-student relationships. Despite these issues, there are some things that only AAU can offer, and for that, I am forever grateful. In fact, in this extremely depleting voyage to a BFA, I found who I am, what I want, and so much more. In this post I will discuss my qualms with the school, and well as the things that have made it extremely rewarding…thus far.

“Nyki’s first page of her art journal: a self portrait with a small synopsis.”​Photo Credit: Nyki Way, All Rights Reserved.

“What should I draw?” Sometimes my friends grovel when I ask. This is something every artist faces: the block. Sometimes you’re just not inspired, or your not happy about what you’re drawing. Well I’m calling all doodlers, sketchers, and artists alike, listen here, I have your solution! Quit using your sketchbook as a place to practice, start using your sketchbook as your own personal form of therapy! I figured out a way to use my sketchbook as my journal and to keep a chronological set of how I perceive myself in situations. So listen up! I’m giving you a step by step guide to processing the good, bad and everything in-between, as well as a beautiful set of drawings! Good luck!